Purpose: To determine the relationship between breakfast consumption and body weight status among primary and secondary school children in Malaysia among 5,332 primary school children aged 6 to 12 years and 3,000 secondary school children aged 13 to 17 years.

Conclusion: “Regular breakfast consumption was associated with a healthier body weight status and is a dietary behaviour which should be encouraged.”

Author disclosures: “This study was funded by Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Lausanne, Switzerland and Nestlé R&D Center, Singapore. Sinead Hopkins and Frank Thielecke were working for CPW, Lausanne, Switzerland, and Moi Kim Ong and Celia Ning were working for Nestlé R&D Center, Singapore, when the study was conducted. All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests.”

I was particularly interested in this study for several reasons:

Cereal Partners Worldwide is a joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills. They have an interest in promoting breakfast cereals.

Nevertheless, the authors who work for CPW or Nestlé believe that their employment with companies with vested interests in the outcome of research creates no conflict of interest.

No, I do not believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (I’m not much of a breakfast eater). Eat when you feel hungry.

It does make sense to think that children should be fed at regular intervals and should not go to school hungry. It also makes sense that regular meals encourage healthier patterns. But preventing obesity? That seems like a stretch, especially when the study’s funders have a financial interest in selling breakfast cereals.